Safety razor



N. TESTI 2,592,488

SAFETY RAZOR 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 April 8, 1952 Filed Aug. 5, 1949 ill/l) lllllmlll Patented Apr. 8, 1952 SAFETY RAZOR Nicholas Testi, Boston, Mass., assigner to Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, Masa., a corporation of Delaware Application August 5, 1949, Serial No. 168,710'

16 claims. l

This invention comprises a new and improved safety razor in which the operation of ejecting the blade is performed automatically, thus facilitating the use of the razor and safeguarding the user against cutting his fingers.

Many users of safety razors have trouble in removing from the razor after use the sharp, Wet blade of very thin steel having one or more extremely sharp edges which must not be touched in the removing operation. This difficulty tends to prevent proper cleaning of the razor and blade between uses and the renewal of the blade as frequently as dictated by the condition of its shaving edge.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a safety razor from which the used blade may be automatically ejected at any time by merely tripping a catch or the like, without necessitating any direct contact with the blade by the user.

Going more into detail, I contemplate a safety razor comprising a guard presenting a blade seat having a projecting catch therein and a springoperated blade ejector movable toward and from the catch, in combination with spring-operated means for relatively moving the blade and ejector so that the ejector may act to eject the blade from the razor. As herein shown, a releasable cap is provided for holding the blade on the blade seat, and means are provided for simultaneously releasing the cap and moving the blade to clear the catch.

These and other features of the invention will be'best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a View in perspective of the razor;

Fig. 2 is a View in longitudinal section of the razor on a greatly enlarged scale with a blade shown in shaving position;

Fig. 3 is a View in perspective of the various parts of the razor and blade shown in exploded relation;

' Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the bladesupporting or guard member showing a blade in position upon the blade seat thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section corresponding to Fig. 2 but showing the cap and blade in position for blade ejection.

The razor selected to illustrate the invention is shown as constructed and arranged to handle perforated or slotted double-edged blades of thin sheet steel from .004 to .012 inch in thickness, although it should be understood that the invention is not limited to that or to any specic type of blade. For example, any necessary modifications of the razor required in adapting it for handling single-edged blades would be within the scope of the invention.

The illustrated razor, however, includes in its structure a guard member I0, substantially rectangular in outline and provided at both longitudinal edges with guard bars II of conventional shape. The upper face of the guard member presents the blade seat and is provided with a longitudinal channel I2 while the lower portion of the guard member merges into spaced parallel flanges I3. In one end of the channel I2 is secured a stationary block I 4 channeled in its lower face and having in its upper face an upwardly projecting detent or catch I5 which extends above the plane of the blade seat and faces inwardly in the guard. An elongated sheet metal bladeelecting slide I5 is freely movable in the channel I2 beyond the block I4. It has parallel side walls and one end wall, the other end being left open. At its open end, the metal of the slide is formed as an upstanding ear Il and thisv also extends upwardly above the level of the blade seat. The closed or left end of the slide as seen in Fig. 5 is normally held in contact with the fixed block I4 by a compression spring I8 which is received in the open end of the slide I6, bears against its closed left-hand end and is fully contained within the channel I2.

The guard member I0 is provided with a central hole I9 for the free passage of an operating spindle, as will be presently described. Secured to the bottom of the guard member I0 is a connecting plate 2i] of irregular shape. This ts edgewise between the flanges I3 of the guard member and is secured thereto by any convenient means, such as the rivet shown in Fig. 2. The connecting plate 2l) in turn is secured to the handle 22 by rivets between cheek plates 2 I constituting the forked end of the handle. The handle is provided with a shouldered bore to receive a spindle 23, forked at its upper end as shown in Fig. 3 for connection with the cap member of theV razor. A compression spring 2A contained within the handle bears against the shoulder of the spindle 23 and normally urges it downwardly and outwardly.

The cap member of the razor comprises an overlying portion 2li of rectangular contour which cooperates with the blade seat of the guard member in clamping and supporting the blade in shaving condition. The cap includes also a vertical arm 21 extending downwardly at one end of the cap and merging into a horizontal arm 28 that extends inwardly beneath the guard member, as best shown in Fig. 2. The right-hand end of the guard member is longitudinally slotted to receive the arm 2T. This arm, therefore, passes upwardly through the channel I2 of the guard member and thus provides an abutment for the right-hand end of the spring I8, as shown in Fig. 2. The upper edge of the arm 28 is slightly inclined with respect to the under face of the portion 26.

The illustrated razor is designed to handle a double-edged blade 30 of the character shown in Fig. 3, the blade being of such width that its sharpened edges project somewhat beyond the edges of the overlying portion 26 of the cap and are spaced slightly above the guard bars Il. The blade is slotted to provide a transverse shoulder 3|, adapted to fit against the catch l5 and a transverse shoulder 32 adapted to engage the ear I1 of the spring-actuated slide I 6.

The spring 24 is powerful enough when permitted to act, to hold the cap and guard members yieldingly together with sufiicient pressure to flex the blade 30 transversely between them and support its sharpened edges in shaving position. When it is desired to insert a blade upon the blade seat of the razor, the lower end of the spindle 23, which projects beyond the end of the handle as shown in Fig. 2, is forcibly moved upwardly sufciently to release the pressure of the cap upon the guard member and permit the blade to be inserted longitudinally from the left-hand side of the razor. In this releasingmovement, the upper end of the spindle 23 moves in the hole I9 of the guard member without engaging the walls of the slide i6. In other words, there is lost motion between the spindle and the slide I6 in the initial movement of the spindle. As the blade is presented, its shoulder 32 engages the ear I1 and forces the slide i6 toward the right, against the compression of the spring I8. This continues until the shoulder 3| of the blade drops in front of the catch l5. When this occurs, the blade holds the spring i8 under compression and the spring 24 clamps the blade in shaving position upon the blade seat. Now, when it is desired to eject the blade, the user has merely to depress the spindle 23. When this is done, the cap is first lifted and tilted until the inclined face of the arm 28 engages the under face of the guard member. Meanwhile the upper end of the spindle engages the side walls of the slide I6 and tilts it upwardly, thus lifting the left-hand end of the blade suiiiciently to disengage its shoulder 3! from the catch l5. The blade is thus freed and the spring It immediately acts to shoot the slide I6 toward the left and eject the blade suddenly and cleanly from the razor.

Fig. shows the cap 26--28 tilted upwardly at its left end so that clamping pressure upon the blade 30 is released and the ejector slide also tilted upwardly at its left end so that the blade has been disengaged from the catch I5. It will be apparent that in moving the spindle 23, the cap is tilted first and the blade thus freed from pressure before the ejector is tripped by the tilting of the blade. The side walls of the slide I6 are relieved in a shallow curve in order that the slide may clear the end of the spindle 23 in its blade ejecting movement.

It will be apparent that the illustrated razor is of the one-piece type in the sense that it cornprises no loose parts that are separated in the normal use of the razor and that it may be manipulated for the purpose of receiving a fresh blade and also for disposing of a used blade merely by 4 pressing the end of the spindle 23. If desired the fresh blade may be delivered to the razor from a magazine. Also the cap may be designed to hold the blade in a llat, rather than a flexed shaving position.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to receive by Letters Patent:

1. A safety razor comprising a blade-supporting member` presenting a blade seat having a fixed catch and an elongated recess therein, a spring pressed blade ejector movable in the recess with a portion thereof projecting above the level of the blade seat, and manually operated means for disengaging a blade from the said catch whereby the blade ejector may act to eject the blade from the blade seat.

2. A safety razor comprising a guard presenting a blade seat having a fixed catch therein, a spring-operated blade ejector movable toward and from said catch, a releasable cap for holding a blade on the seat, and means for simultaneously releasing the cap and moving the blade to clear said catch.

3. A safety razor comprising a guard presenting a blade seat having a catch therein, a bladeejecting device movable longitudinally of the blade seat, a blade having shoulders shaped to engage the catch and ejecting device respectively, a cap holding the blade upon the blade seat, and means for freeing the blade from engagement with the catch.

4. A. safety razor comprising relatively movable cap and guard members cooperating to support a thin blade between them, the guard having a blade seat and an under face parallel thereto, and the cap having a blade-engaging face normally parallel to the blade seat and a rigid arm with a face inclined with respect to the said under face of the guard member.

5. A safety razor comprising relatively movable cap and guard members presenting normally parallel blade-engaging faces, means including a spring for urging said members together, said means being operable manually in opposition to said spring to separate the said members, and means for rocking the cap in the separating movement of the members.

6. A safety razor comprising relatively movable cap and guard members normally presenting parallel blade-engaging faces, an arm fast to the cap and having a face inclined with respect to the blade seat, a spindle connected to said arm, and a spring normally urging the spindle in a direction to clamp the cap and guard members together, the spindle being movable to tilt the cap at an angle to the blade seat determined by the inclination of the face of the said arm.

7. A safety razor comprising relatively movable cap and guard members, the guard member presenting a blade seat having a fixed catch and a longitudinal channel adjacent thereto, a springkoperated slide movable in the channel and having a blade-engaging projection, and means for elevating the slide in its channel to disengage a blade from the said catch.

8. A safety razor comprising cooperating cap and guard members and an interposed shouldered blade, the guard member presenting a fixed catch and an elongated channel leading toward the catch, a spring-operated slide movable in the channel and having a blade-engaging element at its end remote from the said catch, and means for tilting said slide about its 5 said end to displace a blade engaged with the catch.

9. A safety razor comprising opposed bladeclamping members, one of which presents a fixed catch and an open channel adjacent thereto, an elongated slide having downturned side walls movable in the channel below the level of the catch, a spring disposed between the side Walls of the slide and tending at all times to urge the slide toward the said catch, and means acting through the side walls of the slide to tilt the latter up to the level of the catch.

10. A safety razor comprising opposed bladeclamping members relatively movable to clamp or release a thin flexible blade interposed between them, a spring operated blade-ejector arranged to be latched under tension on one or" said members, and means for simultaneously releasing clamping pressure upon an interposed blade and tripping the said ejector.

11. A safety razor comprising an apertured blade, a pair of opposed blade-clamping members relatively movable to clamp or release the blade when interposed between them, a spring operated blade-ejector arranged to be latched by the blade under tension in one of said members, and a single manually operated device for both releasing clamping pressure on the blade and tripping the said ejector.

12. A safety razor comprising angularly separable members presenting a blade-seat and an opposed blade-clamping face, a stationary catch on the blade seat, an angularly movable ejector slide located adjacent thereto and arranged to be latched under tension, and a manually operated 14. A safety razor comprising cooperating blade clamping members, an interposed blade, and a spring operated blade-ejecting member movable longitudinally in the razor and being constructed and arranged to be latched under spring tension when the blade is clamped between the two said clamping members.

15. A safety razor comprising a blade-supporting member presenting a blade seat, a cooperating cap, and two blade-engaging elements spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the blade and projecting above the blade seat, one being xed and the other being movable under spring action in said longitudinal direction parallel to the blade edge.

16. A safety razor including a pair of opposed blade-clamping members dening a blade passageway therebetween, a spring-actuated ejector abutment extending into said passageway and movable, by an incoming blade, against the spring force in a direction longitudinally deeper into said passageway, and a blade-stop in said passageway arranged to obstruct the fully inserted blade against unintended outward movement, whereby the ejector abutment will be automatically cocked for subsequent ejection of the blade by the mere introduction -of said blade into said passageway to an extent sufficient for it operatively to engage the blade stop.

NICHOLAS TESTI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,847,556 Gaisman Mar. 1, 1932 1,999,129 Mnnelli Apr. 23, 1935 2,058,633 Rodrigues Oct. 27, 1936 2,342,169 Muros et al Feb. 22, 1944 

